Improvement in wrenches



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

W. EVANS, OF FORESTVILLE, CONNECTICUT.

IMPROVEMENT IN WRENCHES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 59,571, dated November 13, 1866.

To all whom it may concern 4 Be'it known that I, W. EVANS, of Forestville, in the county of Hartford and State of Connecticut, have invented a new and Improved Wrench 5 and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, which willenable others skilled in the art to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming part of this specification, in which- Figure l is a side elevation of my improved wrench, a portion ot' the movable jaw being' broken away to show the manner in which the saine is locked to the bar. Fig. 2 is a plan or top view of the leveling device.

Similar letters of reference indicate like parts.

My invention' consists in the manner employed for locking the movable jaw to the bar of the wrench which has the said movable jaw tted to slide upon the bar, which latter has its back serrated or toothed.

A designates the bar of the wrench, and B the stationary jaw. C is the handle, attached to the bar in any suitable manner. D is the movable jaw, and this is itted to encompass and slide upon the bar A. Eis acatch, which is fitted in a recess or cavity made in the back or rear part ot' the slidingjaw. This catch is so formed as to sink into seri-ations, a, made in the back ot' the wrench, so that when the sliding jaw has been fixed in any particular position it cannot be slid backward without yreleasing the said catch E, as will be seen by reference to Fig. l. The means employed for operating` the said catch E is by a pivoted lever, b, one end of which is connected to the catch and the other projects upward from the back of the movable jaw, so as to be accessible to the thumb of the operator of the wrench. The said lever is pivoted at about its center -in the movable jaw, and a spiral spring, c, em-

ployed for keeping the outer end of the lever always elevated7 which necessarily keeps the inner end depressed, and consequently the catch is kept always bearing upon the back of the bar A.

In using the wrench it is merely necessary to slide the movable jaw hard up to the nut or other article to be seized, when it will be found that it is locked in such position, and ready for turning the nut. To release it from the nut it is merely necessary to press upon the outer part of the lever, when the catch will be withdrawn from the tooth of the bar ag'ainst which it presses, and the movable jaw can be slid upon the bar to any desired place.

The simplicity of this manner of operating a wrench is very obvious. The facility with which the movable jaw may be moved is of great importance. The wrench possesses the requisite strength for all ordinary purposes, and no parts are likely to become damaged by continued use.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

The arran gement of the catch E, lever Z), and spring c, when said parts are combined with the movable jaw D, the serrated shank A, and stationary jaw B, substantially as described, and for the purpose specified.

W. EVANS.

Witnesses:

HoBART BOOTH, LAPORTE HUBBELL. 

